Trans-tasman battle looms in Men's 800m | Sydney Track Classic

With the excitement of Australian middle-distance running reaching new heights following the World Athletics Cross Country Championships and the Maurie Plant Meet - Melbourne, another chapter will be written at the Sydney Track Classic with an exciting Trans-Tasman battle in the Men’s 800m.

To be headlined by the seven-fastest all time New Zealander, Brad Mathas (Justin Rinaldi), the race will feature the emerging talent from New South Wales with Jye Perrott (Ben Liddy), Lachlan Raper (Ben Liddy) and youngster Luke Boyes (Ben St Lawrence) leading the charge on their home track. Riley McGown (Des Proctor), also announced as part of the first series of entry lists, will also fancy his chances of a maiden Track Classic victory with his first 1:46-performance for 3rd overall at the Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne.

Mathas, eight times a New Zealand Open 800m National Champion, will touch down in Sydney with plenty of momentum. Courtesy of a 1:46.00 personal best last Thursday, he looks forward to returning to the Sydney Track Classic – an event he’s been a frequent visitor at since 2013:

“Sydney’s always been really good to me – I’ve run a few PB’s there. My most memorable race was against David Rudisha at the 2015 Sydney Track Classic, where I ran third behind him and Alex Rowe in a breakthrough 1:47.6-performance for myself.”

“Men’s 800m running in Australia is in a really good place – having eight guys in the field [in Adelaide and Melbourne] being able to run 1:45-1:46 makes for exciting races, and with that depth, everyone goes to another level. The key reason to keep racing in Australia to run fast, and win races.”

Battling to reach the start line in his first World Championship appearance at Eugene last year, after a hamstring tear just five weeks prior to the event, Mathas has trained well in Perisher at altitude from November – January. On the back of newfound confidence and fitness, as well as his 2nd place behind fellow countryman James Preston, Mathas has lofty yet realistic goals for 2023:

“If I can keep going the way that I am and stay injury free, I can’t see any reason why I can’t run 1:44 this year. If we get a good pace going in Sydney, I’ll be looking to run 1:45.

“Whilst the result wasn’t what I wanted [in Eugene], it was a humbling experience, and racing on the world stage means that there’s not much more that can scare me. I belong on that world stage.

Paris is the ultimate goal to solidify myself as an Olympian. I’m turning 30 soon so I need to make good on that.”

Whilst Mathas approaches Sydney with a decade of domestic experience, 19-year-old Luke Boyes will look to improve again on his 1:47.60 in Melbourne, with a breakthrough 1:46.6-performance at the 2023 ACT Championships and establishing himself as a regular Track Classic starter.

“Getting to train like a professional athlete for a few weeks over the Christmas break allowed me to 100% focus on my running, and really gave me the confidence that I needed to run against more established runners in Canberra.

Having my coach [Ben St Lawrence] with me in Melbourne made a huge different to my nerves, and I was a lot less intimated by some of the ‘big names’ who were around me. It made me feel like I deserved to be racing at the Maurie Plant Meet - Melbourne.”

And at Luke’s age, like many other young talents around the country in their late teens, the prize of two huge athletics events at home looms large:

“We have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to race both a home Commonwealth and Olympic Games, which is a massive motivator. Going to World Juniors last year really opened my eyes to the world of athletics, and helped me to decide that athletics is something I want to commit to for a long time.”

Another hometown 800m hero, Jye Perrott, is also riding a wave of momentum from an early-season 1:46.80 in Melbourne, and is looking to use Sydney as another step in the right direction for the 2023 Budapest World Championships:

“Still early days in my season, but having run my fastest-ever domestic race in Australia in just my second race this year, I’m really happy with my progress before I head to Europe to chase down a spot in the Australian team.

The plan at the Track Classic is to run in the 1:45’s, and I think the atmosphere in Sydney with the home-crowd feeling will help me do that, along with the calibre of field we have lining up.”

The full field for the Men’s 800m will be announced shortly. 

What: Chemist Warehouse Sydney Track Classic
Where: Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre – Sydney Olympic Park
Who: The fastest man in the world, 100m world champion Fred Kerley (USA), Rio 1500m Olympic Champion Matthew Centrowitz (USA), more global stars from over 10 nations, along with our Aussie stars including Rohan Browning, Nicola Olyslagers and Jessica Hull.
Why: The world’s best athletes visiting, training and competing in one of the sporting capitals of the world, Sydney, is good for the sport, sports fans and our Australian athletes. World Athletics Continental Tour Challenge meets offers assists our athletes with qualification for World Championships and Olympic Games.
How: Tickets are available via Athletics NSW’s website here - bit.ly/2023SydneyTrackClassic

By James Constantine, for Athletics NSW

Posted: 28/2/2023